Three senior Islamic State of West Africa Province commanders executed in major purge

TERRORIST group the Islamic State of West Africa Province (Iswap) has executed three of its commanders including the son of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf  in what appears to be a spat over how to proceed with the war against Nigeria.

Since 2009, Boko Haram has been involved in a bloody war with Nigeria as it seeks to establish a purist Islamist theocracy in the northeast of the country. A few years ago, Iswap broke away from Boko Haram, naming Abu Musad Al-Barnawi, the son of its founder Mohammed Yusuf as its leader, while Abubakar Shekau retained the leadership of the original group.

Over recent years, the bodies have been involved in a few purges as the hardline leadership has objected to the stance of some commanders willing to negotiate a trace with the Nigerian government. This has led to several high profile executions and in the latest saga, the Iswap leadership and the Shura Council have executed three top commanders including the powerful jihadist warlord in-charge of all terrorists activities and operations along the Lake Chad axis Amir Baba Kaka.

Iswap's chief judge and his council also pronounced death sentence on Ba’a Masta, an Islamic scholar who preached in the Tumbus and 14 others. A separate date for their execution has been fixed for July 31, immediately after Eid-El-Kabir prayers at a location given as the Tunbum Kurna-Lake Chad axis.

Amir Baba Kaka was sacked and replaced by Amir Goni Maina in a major Iswap leadership shakeup following the appointment of Amir Abubakar Lawan as the group's new Wali. According to sources close to the group, Amir Baba Kaka was killed at Kwalaram on the evening of Sunday July 26 along with two of his lieutenants named as Amir Muhammed Lawal alias Abba Lawal and Amir Musa.

“The decision to investigate and execute Amir Baba Kaka and two of his men took about four weeks. The panel in charge was headed by the new chief judge of Iswap, Amir Malumma and his team comprising of Mallam Ibrahim, a top Boko Haram/Iswap scholar, Mallam Sa’ad and Bako Fulgori, amongst others.

‘This is the first time in Boko Haram /Iswap history, that the Isis-linked insurgents have conducted what appears to be a systematic political cleansing of top commanders and fighters, ostensibly, with the aim of consolidating power and control by the most recent leadership of Amir Abubakar Lawan and his close ally Abu Musab Al-Barnawi. Recall that the latter was one of the surviving sons of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf killed in July 2009 while in police custody in Maiduguri," the source added.

It is believed that most of the top commanders executed and marked for death played a major role in the overthrow and demotion of the Isis preferred leader of West Africa Province, Abu-Musab Al-Barnawi. Baba Kaka for instance was found guilty of several offences including insubordination, injustice, corruption, embezzlement of taxes, instigating mutiny and extra judicial killings.

He was also charged with failure to uphold operational command and control of jihadist camps and unit commanders during his four years reign as governor of the Lake Chad Tumbus. This apparently which led to splits and the death of many commanders and fighters in the hands of the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force, the Chadian Army and troops from the Multi-National Joint Task Force.